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Chemistry of Plant Natural Products
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Chemistry of Plant Natural Products

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Phytochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2024 | Viewed by 3331

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Yeong-Geun Lee

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Life Sciences, Kyung Hee University, Yongin-si 17104, Korea
Interests: natural products chemistry; NMR; HPLC; LC/MS; GC/MS; metabolomics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Since ancient times, natural products, especially plants, have been consumed empirically, as food and as cosmetics and medicines, due to their efficacy owing to their secondary metabolites. Through numerous previous studies, the efficacy of these natural products has been revealed according to their major components, and various medicines such as paclitaxel, aspirin, artemisin, and oseltamivir have been developed. Since new diseases such as monkeypox and SARS-CoV-2 continue to appear, the demand for these drugs will continue to increase. Therefore, this Special Issue of Plants will focus on the structural elucidation of active components from natural products to treat diseases.

Dr. Yeong-Geun Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • natural product chemistry
  • nuclear magnetic resonance
  • structural elucidation
  • medicinal herbs

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2233 KiB  
Communication
Anti-Melanogenic Effects of Cnidium monnieri Extract via p38 Signaling-Mediated Proteasomal Degradation of Tyrosinase
by Soon Ho Choi, Hyunggun Kim, Jeon Hwang-Bo, Kyoung Mi Kim, Jeong Eun Kwon, Sung Ryul Lee, Sun Ha Hwang, Se Chan Kang and Yeong-Geun Lee
Plants 2024, 13(10), 1305; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13101305 - 9 May 2024
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Abstract
Cnidium monnieri fructus is widely used in traditional Oriental medicine for treating female genital disorders, male impotence, frigidity, and skin-related conditions in East Asia. However, the role of C. monnieri fructus extract (CMFE) in melanin synthesis is not well elucidated. This study aimed [...] Read more.
Cnidium monnieri fructus is widely used in traditional Oriental medicine for treating female genital disorders, male impotence, frigidity, and skin-related conditions in East Asia. However, the role of C. monnieri fructus extract (CMFE) in melanin synthesis is not well elucidated. This study aimed to investigate the anti-melanogenesis effect and mechanism of action of CMFE in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells. Intracellular melanin content and tyrosinase activity were measured in α-MSH-stimulated B16F10 cells treated with various concentrations of CMFE (0.5–5 μg/mL). mRNA and protein levels of tyrosinase and MITF were evaluated using qRT-PCR and ting. CMFE’s effect on the proteasomal degradation of tyrosinase was confirmed using a proteasomal degradation inhibitor, MG132. CMFE treatment activated p38, a protein associated with proteasomal degradation. Treatment with CMFE at up to 5 μg/mL showed no significant cytotoxicity. CMFE significantly reduced α-MSH-stimulated melanin production (43.29 ± 3.55% decrease, p < 0.05) and cellular tyrosinase activity (31.14 ± 3.15% decrease, p < 0.05). Although mRNA levels of MITF and tyrosinase increased, CMFE suppressed tyrosinase protein levels. The suppressive effect of CMFE on tyrosinase protein was blocked by MG132. CMFE inhibited melanogenesis by promoting the proteasome degradation of tyrosinase through p38 activation. These findings suggest that CMFE has the potential to be a natural whitening agent for inhibiting melanogenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry of Plant Natural Products)
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16 pages, 345 KiB  
Article
High-Value Compounds in Papaya By-Products (Carica papaya L. var. Formosa and Aliança): Potential Sustainable Use and Exploitation
by Ana F. Vinha, Anabela S. G. Costa, Liliana Espírito Santo, Diana M. Ferreira, Carla Sousa, Edgar Pinto, Agostinho Almeida and Maria Beatriz P. P. Oliveira
Plants 2024, 13(7), 1009; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13071009 - 1 Apr 2024
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Abstract
Background: Food waste is a global and growing problem that is gaining traction due to its environmental, ethical, social, and economic repercussions. Between 2022 and 2027, the worldwide papaya market is expected to have a huge increase, meaning a growth in organic waste, [...] Read more.
Background: Food waste is a global and growing problem that is gaining traction due to its environmental, ethical, social, and economic repercussions. Between 2022 and 2027, the worldwide papaya market is expected to have a huge increase, meaning a growth in organic waste, including peels and seeds. Thus, this study evaluated the potential use of peels and seeds of two mature papaya fruits as a source of bioactive compounds, converting these by-products into value-added products. Proximate analysis (AOAC methods), mineral content (ICP-MS), free sugars (HPLC-ELSD), fatty acid composition (GC-FID), vitamin E profile (HPLC-DAD-FLD), and antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP assays) were evaluated. Results: Both by-products showed high total protein (20–27%), and dietary fiber (32–38%) contents. Papaya peels presented a high ash content (14–16%), indicating a potential application as a mineral source. 14 fatty acids were detected, with α-linolenic acid (30%) as the most abundant in the peels and oleic acid (74%) in the seeds. Both by-products showed high antioxidant activity. Conclusion: Papaya by-products display great potential for industrial recovery and application, such as formulation of new functional food ingredients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry of Plant Natural Products)
19 pages, 5491 KiB  
Article
In Vitro Analysis of Cytotoxic Activities of Monotheca buxifolia Targeting WNT/β-Catenin Genes in Breast Cancer Cells
by Ambreen Sher, Sobia Tabassum, Heather Mann Wallace, Asifullah Khan, Asad Mustafa Karim, Sarah Gul and Se Chan Kang
Plants 2023, 12(5), 1147; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12051147 - 2 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1464
Abstract
Breast cancer (BC) is known to be the most common malignancy among women throughout the world. Plant-derived natural products have been recognized as a great source of anticancer drugs. In this study, the efficacy and anticancer potential of the methanolic extract of Monotheca [...] Read more.
Breast cancer (BC) is known to be the most common malignancy among women throughout the world. Plant-derived natural products have been recognized as a great source of anticancer drugs. In this study, the efficacy and anticancer potential of the methanolic extract of Monotheca buxifolia leaves using human breast cancer cells targeting WNT/β-catenin signaling was evaluated. We used methanolic and other (chloroform, ethyl acetate, butanol, and aqueous) extracts to discover their potential cytotoxicity on breast cancer cells (MCF-7). Among these, the methanol showed significant activity in the inhibition of the proliferation of cancer cells because of the presence of bioactive compounds, including phenols and flavonoids, detected by a Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer and by gas chromatography mass spectrometry. The cytotoxic effect of the plant extract on the MCF-7 cells was examined by MTT and acid phosphatase assays. Real-time PCR analysis was performed to measure the mRNA expression of WNT-3a and β-catenin, along with Caspase-1,-3,-7, and -9 in MCF-7 cells. The IC50 value of the extract was found to be 232 μg/mL and 173 μg/mL in the MTT and acid phosphatase assays, respectively. Dose selection (100 and 300 μg/mL) was performed for real-time PCR, Annexin V/PI analysis, and Western blotting using Doxorubicin as a positive control. The extract at 100 μg/mL significantly upregulated caspases and downregulated the WNT-3a and β-catenin gene in MCF-7 cells. Western blot analysis further confirmed the dysregulations of the WNT signaling component (*** p< 0.0001). The results showed an increase in the number of dead cells in methanolic extract-treated cells in the Annexin V/PI analysis. Our study concludes that M. buxifolia may serve as an effective anticancer mediator through gene modulation that targets WNT/β-catenin signaling, and it can be further characterized using more powerful experimental and computational tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Chemistry of Plant Natural Products)
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